Jouni's Newts

In January 1998 I found one red-spotted newt (Notophthalmus
viridescens) in a local aquarium shop.
They are not as common in Finland as firebellies are, and finding a
shop with them is very difficult. This cute
little fellow was the only one left, so it took about 5 seconds for me to
make the decision whether to buy it or not. Firebellies were not hostile
towards the newcomer, and they seem to get along very well.
Today I only have firebellies.

The newts live in a 100 l (~25 gal) tank. Actually, the tank has only
about 60 litres of water in it, since there is a kind of a shelf in about
the middle of the tank with some gravel on it, providing the newts with a
possibility to spend some time on land too. This usually happens when it's
dark, and the newts spend their days mostly in water. There are some
plastic water plants and other stuff to make the newts feel at home, and
offering them places to hide.

Note that even if firebellies and eastern newts seem to have no problems
in sharing the tank, that's not always the case. Mixing any newts with
other species (newts or other animals) is always more or less risky, and
in general, not encouraged. The newt toxins are one thing to consider.
Also, the needs (temperature, water/land ratio) and the size of the two
newt species must be similar, and neither should be known to be
aggressive. If you're unsure, only house one kind of newts in each tank.

My newts' favourite food is frozen bloodworms, yum yum! They sell it
at the aquarium shops. It's fresh food and simple to use. Sometimes
I feed the newts with live bloodworms I get from a bait shop. You can
also try feeding your newts with freeze-dried bloodworms or tubifex
cubes, but you may have to train your newts to eat from the surface (this
food floats). They tend to look for food at the bottom of the
tank. If your climate permits, you can also collect small
harmless insects and worms from your garden.

The hobby of the firebellies appears to be breeding. Several times I have
had some tiny newts swimming in their own
'nursery'. Many people have asked me what did I do to make them
breed. The answer is: nothing special. When the female began to lay eggs,
I simply provided her with some plants to lay eggs on and removed the
plants with eggs before hatching. Otherwise they could've been eaten
up by their parents. More about helping the tadpoles to survive on
my Breeding Firebelly Newts page. I've read that some people,
when trying to get their newts to breed, simulate spring by slowly changing
the lighting conditions of the tank. Some more difficult species may require a
period of hibernation before they breed.

Most of the newts are pretty easy to take care
of and they are not noisy, hairy or anything else that could cause trouble
for example in this smallish apartment of mine. However, there are
some basic needs that have to be filled.

Keep the water clean and cool enough. Coolish room temperature
is optimal for most newts, like N. viridescens and genus Cynops,
so do not use a heater if you don't happen to have a special species
that necessarily needs to have one. They are likely to get ill (catch
fungi etc) if the water is too warm or dirty. A
filter is recommendable, but not necessary if you remember to change the
water frequently enough to keep it clean. Newts prefer still water, so
when buying a filter, choose one that isn't too powerful. Suitable water
depth is 5-12 inches (10-30 cm).

Firebellies and eastern newts are
aquatic species, but they do need a piece of land to climb on. It
doesn't have to be much, but it has to be there. I've
seen newts in tanks with no land at all, and I find it sad.

Don't place the tank into a direct sunlight. Provide the newts with
some hiding places in the tank. Use live or plastic plants, rocks etc. If
you use gravel at the bottom of the tank, prefer round-edged gravel, size
of which is so big that the newts won't be able to swallow it.

Be sure to cover the tank, especially if you're away. These
clumsy-looking creatures can surprise you and
escape even if it may
look impossible. When they get too dry, they will die. Provide some
ventilation, though.

Do not overcrowd! If you want to have many different species, buy
separate and large enough tanks for them.

Wash your hands after handling the food or the newts. Handle
your newts as little as possible. Their skin is very sensitive and your
skin may irritate their skin. When you handle them, get your hands wet
first. You should also remember that most newts are toxic. That's not
dangerous for a human, but washing your hands is necessary as well as
keeping the newts away from small children.

Do remember that in a proper care these little fellows can live a lot
longer than one might think.